'Alligator Alcatraz' Migrant Detention Center Opens in Florida's Everglades

In an effort to house the quickly growing numbers of migrant detainees, Florida and the US government on Tuesday opened a 5,000-inmate facility in the middle of the Everglades. It's a place crawling with alligators and pythons. President Trump toured the site Tuesday. 

The detention center consists of tents and trailers. It's on an airstrip in the swampland. It's known by some as “Alligator Alcatraz.” Its opening has triggered protests from many groups. They include environmentalists. They also include Indigenous groups. They argue the site will harm ecologically sensitive tribal land. Others have rebuked state and federal officials for cruelty. They say the site sends a cruel message to migrants.  

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ office conceived of the idea. He said the site is cost-effective and needs less security. He also disputed a key argument against it. He told Fox News its impact on nature “will be zero.”  

Critics have compared it to Devil’s Island. That's a former French penal colony. It was off the coast of South America. It was in shark-infested waters. The Trump administration isn’t tagging that label to the site. But it's hailing the extra security posed by the predatory reptiles in the more than 4,300-square-mile wetlands. 

“This is not a nice business,” Trump told reporters before leaving the White House Tuesday. Then he joked, “we’re going to teach them how to run away from an alligator if they escape prison.” 

“Don’t run in a straight line. Run like this,” Trump said, making a zigzag with his hand. “And you know what? Your chances go up about 1%.”

Opposing politicians have condemned Alligator Alcatraz. Florida Democratic Representative Maxwell Frost told WFSU-FM that the makeshift prison is cruel. Frost said it puts people in the scorching Florida sun and in the swamp. 

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